Understanding Islam In the Media
A Curriculum for Youth and/or Adults
Created by Sunshine Jeremiah Wolfe
Spring 2010
Introduction
For a little more than a thousand years, a story has been created of the relationship between European Christianity and Arab Islam. It is a story that makes synonymous the identity of Europeans with Christianity and being Arab with Islam. This story, and we use story rather than history with intention, has made it difficult for everyday people to understand and be of witness to one another’s inherent commonalities and moments of connection and grace.
This course works to bring about awareness of both the story and the history of how this story came into being. This course offers the student a way to comprehend what they hear every day in mainstream United States news sources within the larger context of history and the modern day world.
Who is this class for?
This course is designed specifically for Unitarian Universalist congregations, but could easily be adapted for other environments and settings. The audience is people living in the United States who do not identify as Muslim and do identify as religiously or ethically liberal, progressive, or otherwise welcoming to the Muslim community.
What should a student expect to understand at the end of this class?
· Have some knowledge of the “religion” of Islam and Islam’s complexity
· Understand basic knowledge of the histories:
o of Islam
o of the relationship between Europe and Islam since 1000A.D.
o of the creation(s) of “Western” identities;
o of Unitarians, Islam, and Judaism as interacting communities.
· Ability to describe Orientalism and explain some of the myths that help create the foundation of today’s mythologizing of Islam.
· Understand the cultural variety of “Muslim” countries and the effect of conflating different cultures onto the religion of “Islam.”
· Ability to explain the difficulty of placing “Westernized” ontologies on “Islam.”
· A basic understanding how Fox News came about, how it operates day to day, and the impact this has had on mainstream media including Associated Press (AP) and National Public Radio (NPR).
· To analyze current media sources with an understanding of key words, assumptions made, and what the student needs to learn more about to understand the story.
Class Duration and Format
This class is designed for six sessions and could easily be extended to eight sessions. Classes last for two hours each time and include some homework most weeks. Students are required to attend the first and last sessions of the course and strongly encouraged to attend all where possible. The format of the course is as follows:
1. Presentation of art, music, story, and or poetry to start the class.
2. Welcome, introductions (first week only) and question/answer time
3. Curriculum Presentation/Activity Part 1
4. 5-10 minute break
5. Curriculum Presentation/Activity Part 2
6. Final questions
7. Homework assignment (if applicable)
8. Closing art/music/video/story
This format is intentionally designed for an adult and youth (teen) audience. In adult education, offering opportunities to engage with elements of the culture, creating time to process ideas (the break), and having a clear and consistent format (even if unstated) creates the space necessary to understand material that can be unfamiliar and even disorienting. Often the art, music, and poetry that are presented at the beginning and end of each class are a part of the curricular work for the day and help the students reorient themselves from their daily lives to the work at hand. The break midway allows for time to process new material and to reflect on thoughts and ideas that lead to new questions. The homework, even if a small assignment, gives the adult student the opportunity to reflect and consider questions they have and present them in their homework in the following week. Each of these pieces fosters the growth of the student and allows them to feel disoriented and unsure in a structured space.
I final note on adult pedagogy: whenever possible, it is helpful to let students answer questions that are asked if they know the answers. You may need to offer some clarifying points to tie answers into the topic at hand. However, it is helpful to build strength on what students in the room already know as a ground for building on what they do not know. If they feel like they know nothing, the class may prove frustrating for them or they may find the instructor to be condescending or unwilling to listen. When students feel like what they do know matters, they tend to open up more to sharing the things they really don’t understand. All of this said, it is important to ask those who speak a lot to count to ten before speaking or ask if they really must share and to invite students who do not speak up much to do so as well as to create time for them to process so that they can speak..
Who can teach this class?
It is important that instructors have some knowledge and past or current interaction with Muslim communities, preferably in the region where they are teaching. Certainly, they need some knowledge of the history of Islam, the elements of the faith, an understanding of the politics related to Islam both in the United States and the world, and a little understanding of how modern news media works. For this reason, this curriculum would likely require training of facilitators and leaders in some more formalized way or an expectation of proof that they are qualified to teach it. At the time of this writing, I foresee only a small number of people within Unitarian Universalism who could teach this curriculum upon it being handed to them.
The Curriculum
Session 1: Beginning to Understand Islam
Materials needed for this class:
CD Player or Computer or other electronic mode for playing music
CD with Adhan recording and/or video/cd of Sufi Dervish dancing and music
Copies of the Hadith of Gabriel for each student
A copy of “The Cow” from Wisdom of the Idiots by Indries Shah
List of resource suggestions for students
If possible, copies of books suggested for students to look at from the resource list
Teacher Preparation for Class:
Select an Adhan or music/video of music for opening the class.
Read the Introduction to A Vision of Islam.
Review the “Hadith of Gabriel”
Review the Sufi story for end of class
Session 1 Outline
ii. Why do you want to teach this class?
iii. What do you hope for this class?
ii. Why take this class?
iii. What do you know about and/or what experience do you have with Islam and Muslim communities?
ii. Profession of faith
ii. Exercise patience and allow questions to flow.
iii. Answer what you can, admit what you don’t know, and where possible promise to bring answers to future classes if you do not know.
ii. So, in this explanation, I found it useful to say that as a person who does not believe in this, I find it hard to explain, but that it is important to note a belief that we are held accountable for our deeds after our death.
iii. If found this was a good time to talk about Shatan and sin.
1. Shatan: not the same as Satan. More akin to ego and the voices or inclinations within us that are greedy, self-centered, and self-righteous.
2. Sin: In Christian context sin usually refers to the nature of a person and their actions which need to be atoned for either in this life or the next. This concept does not translate directly into Islam. The notion of final judegement has more to do with an attitude of humbleness and ones relationship to creating beauty in their family and community through modest and compassionate words and deeds.
Session 2: History of Islam in Context: Part 1
Materials needed for this class:
CD Player or Computer or other electronic mode for playing music
TV and DVD player if you have a copy of “Islam: Empire of Faith” (Part 2) or Computer (and perhaps projector) if you use online copy at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1PxJomypQE
Chalk board, dry-erase board, or butcher paper.
Teacher Preparation for Class:
Find a Ladino song to play for the class. Yasmin Levi is an excellent artist. The song should include both instruments and vocal(s).
Review terms covered in the definition section of the class.
repare to present a brief lecture on history of Muhammad and beginning of Islam.
Karen Armstrong’s book on Muhammad is an excellent source for this.
View “Islam: Empire of Faith Part2”
Session 2 Outline
1. Ask students to listen to the ladino song that you have chosen. (5 minutes)
a. Ask them to answer the following questions:
i. What instruments are being played?
ii. What language is being sung?
iii. Where do you think this music is from?
b. Leave the room while they are listening to the song to give them the freedom to discuss amongst themselves without the temptation of looking to you for approval.
2. Question/answer time (10 minutes)
a. When they have finished, ask them what they have discovered. After they share their ideas, tell them about the song.
i. Give brief explanation of Ladino as a language and where and when this music was developed.
ii. Explain what Sephardim means and talk a little about al-Andalus.
iii. Let them know that they will be getting into different terms later.
b. Ask the students what they thought of the homework.
c. What questions do they have?
3. Activity: Definitions and Categories (45 minutes)
a. On chalk/dry-erase board or butcher paper write down three headers with space below them like columns: Jewish, Muslim, and Christian
i. Ask students to “describe the characteristics of Jewish culture.”
1. You may need to explain that culture means customs, etiquette, rules, language, music, art, games, rituals, holidays, etc.
2. Do not answer these questions for the students or expound upon the activity further than this
ii. Once they have done this for Jewish, ask about Muslim, and then about Christian.
iii. Note: The first time I did this, when asked to describe Christian culture the first student to answer said, “we believe in….” She stopped herself at that point and put her hand in her face. She had surprised herself. She, a self-professed atheist who never attended a Christian church in her life had said “we.” Some students will be surprised by how much they identify “United States culture” with “Christian culture.” If this comes up, be sure to give students time to talk about why they think this is true.
iv. You may find that “Christian culture” is difficult for the class to describe. That is fine. If after a few minutes students cannot come up with anything, just move on to the next section.
b. Start with “Christian culture.”
i. How many communities do you think exist within Christian culture?
ii. Does Unitarian Universalism have a Christian culture even if we are not strictly Christian in thea/ology?
iii. Does the culture of Christianity change depending on the country?
1. You can talk about Christian cultures as they manifest in Europe, the U.S., Mexico, and Brazil.
c. Then Jewish: What are the different “Jewish cultures”?
i. More than likely, the culture that students describe for Jewish culture will be more like what many Ashkenazi Jews identify with.
1. At this point, students will likely mention Orthodox, Reform, and Conservative Judaism.
ii. There are many different ways that Jewish communities have grown to define themselves. For this class, it is helpful to know three terms for different cultural experiences of Judaism. Define Ashkenazi, Sephardi, and Mizrahi.[2]
d. Then Muslim: What are the different “Muslim cultures”?
i. Many people in the United States associate being Muslim with being Arab.
1. However, Arab refers more to a geographic location and perhaps the culture affiliated with it than the religion of Islam.
2. For example, if we know there are Arab Jews and Arab Christians, then clearly Arab and Muslim are not synonymous.
ii. Muslims come from many regions of the world and their way of being Muslim mixes with the cultural rules of the region they are from- as is true with any religion.
iii. Islam does suggest certain practices for people who practice it. For example, a United States born Muslim may wear a hijab while listening to rock music and eating Mexican food.
iv.
4. Break (10 minutes)
5. Questions? (5 minutes)
6. Lecture on Muhammad (5 minutes)
7. View first 23 minutes of “Islam: Empire of Faith- Part 2”
8. Final questions
9. No homework, but encourage to watch “Islam: Empire of Faith” via online or library.
10. Play another Ladino song to close.
Session 3: History of Islam in Context: Part 2
Materials needed for this class:
Copy of transliterated Adhan
CD Player/Computer for music
Computer and/or projector to play “Orientalist Art” Powerpoint
Copy of “Edict of Expulsion of the Jews”
Teacher Preparation for Class:
Prepare history lectures for the section (see lesson plan).
Session 3 Outline
1. Play Adhan for students. Then give students a chance to say the words aloud. (See handout for this lesson). (5 minutes)
2. Question/answer time. (5 minutes)
3. Lecture and discussion on history of the Crusades and the invasion of the Ottomans into the Muslim controlled Empire to the history of al-Andalus and expulsion there. (50 minutes)
a. I started this section with the first line from Saving Paradise. “It took Jesus a thousand years to die. [3]”
b. Talk about the beginning of myth building of Islam, as well, which will be discussed in greater detail in second half of class.
i. King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table
ii. Robin Hood
iii. European myths about Muhammad
c. Talk about history of al-Andalus.
i. King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella:
ii. Read “Edict of Expulsion of the Jews” from 1492 to the class. Stop to answer questions as they arise.
d. Many, if not all, students do not know this part of the history of Spain or the extent of what Ferdinand and Isabella did during this time.
e. Relationships between Unitarian Universalism and Islam in Europe.
4. Break (10 minutes)
5. “Orientalism” or “How myths and stereotypes can create an identity” (30 minutes)
a. Lecture on Edward Said and his commentary on the term “Oriental.”
i. Talk about the aspects of myths that are common in creating the “absolute other.”
1. Sexual deviance and promiscuity
2. Dirty
3. Immoral
4. Greedy
5. Violent
ii. These descriptors play out in:
1. Myths: revisit myths from earlier
2. Art: view slide show that is attached to this curriculum or other “orientalist” art.
b. Understanding this history of art and how it was created will become important as we begin to analyze and understand various media sources in the modern day including news, movies, and music.
6. Final questions (5 minutes)
7. Homework assignment (5 minutes)- Watch at least fifteen minutes each of the following:
a. Fox News- could be the actual news or talk shows such as O’Reilly or Beck
b. al-Jazeera English- http://english.aljazeera.net/ or Democracy Now- http://www.democracynow.org/
8. Play one of Yusuf Islam’s more recent songs. One album suggestion is Road Singer. (3 minutes)
Session 4: Beginning to Critically Engage with Media Sources Part 1
Materials needed for this class:
Computer for video viewing.
CD Player if not playing music from internet.
Copy of “Outfoxed: Rupter Murdoch’s War on Journalism” (can be streamed from Netflix).
Teacher Preparation for Class:
Choose Muslim Hip-hop song for class opening and song by Muslim women for end.
View all videos.
Session 4 Outline
1. Play “Divine Love” by Tasleem "Jamila" Firdausee or another song by a Muslim hip hop artist. If you need help, check out www.muslimhiphop.com . (3 minutes)
2. Question/Answer Time from last session (5 minutes)
3. Ask students to talk about their responses to the news sources they reviewed during the week. (15 minutes)
a. Have each student talk about what the watched.
b. Anything surprise you?
c. What language was used during what you watched.
4. Show first 15 minutes of “Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch’s War on Journalism” and discuss. (30 minutes)
5. Language and Perspective in the news media (5 minutes)
a. As Fox News has grown in power, it has significantly influenced the language and issues of the other news sources.
b. By having control over so many news media sources, News Corporation has been able to shift the direction of other news sources including National Public Radio.
c. Also, news and other media sources tend to succeed based on the amount of advertising that can be procured and number of viewers.
d. This has particularly influenced online media news sources where the ability to create solid news sources often relies on advertising and donations.
6. Break (10 minutes)
7. Beginning to question mainstream news representations: Islam and Women
b. Video: Bahraini Women’s Rights Activist Ghada Jamshir
i. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPz4olc1Les&feature=PlayList&p=F6ADD0C79CEB600E&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=14
ii. What surprised you?
iii. Many Muslim women do not find the opinions of Western feminists to be all that helpful.
1. Rather than talking about and offering support in real issues Western society tends to focus on the cosmetic ones such as hajibs and burquas.
2. Little or no understanding of the complexity of women’s rights issues in Muslim communities is understood.
3. The rights of women vary country to country and community to community. What is an issue in one place is not in another.
4. Western audiences often pass judgment by placing Western ideals and standards on non-Western countries.
5. What are the needs for women according to this activist?
8. Final questions
9. Homework assignment
a. For next week: read “Swiss Ban on Minarets Was a Vote for Inclusion” by Ayaan Hirsi Ali
i. http://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/Opinion/2009/1205/p09s01-coop.html
ii. Be prepared to discuss this article in our next class.
b. In our last session, students will be asked to present a news story about Islam from “mainstream” media sources. It cannot come from al-Jazeera, Democracy Now, or Independent News sources. Students will be asked to answer the following questions in their presentation:
i. What is the story about?
ii. What assumptions are made in this story?
iii. Are there historical myths and/or stereotypes at play in this story?
iv. What language is used in relation to Islam (we will talk about key words in the next class)?
v. What do you as a reader not know enough about to feel truly informed about the story presented? In other words, what is not in this story that would help you understand it more fully (if anything)?
vi. What did you find this story important?
c. This assignment will be due in the final class for presentation and you can contact the instructor as you have questions.
10. Women’s ensemble of Fergana- “la ilahe illallah”
a. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8a_MAdllpYU
Session 5: Beginning to Critically Engage with Media Sources Part 2
Materials needed for this class:
DVD Player
Computer
CD Player
Teacher Preparation for Class:
View A Jihad for Love and select scenes to share with the class. Be sure to include both the beginning and ending segments with
Session 5 Outline
1. Share images of the 99 names of Allah (5 minutes)
a. Many images of the names in Arabic are online.
b. For a list of the names, you can check out Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Names_of_God_in_the_Qur%27an
2. Question/answer time (10 minutes)
a. Discuss the homework assignment “Swiss Ban on Minarets Was a Vote for Inclusion” by Ayaan Hirsi Ali
b. What did students notice?
c. What language was used?
d. What assumptions were made in the article?
3. Show video: O’Reilly Factor: Is Fox’s “24” Anti-Muslim? (15 minutes)
a. Ask students to pay attention to the kinds of language and words used in this interview by O’Reilly and Arsalan Iftikhar.
b. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EW2tujZISvc
c. What did you witness?
d. What words were used to describe Muslims?
e. What other key words did you notice?
4. Definitions of words used in the media (10 minutes)
a. Muslim
b. Islam
c. Arab
d. Persian
e. Islamic extremist
f. Islamisist
g. Political Islam
h. Ask for other words that students have come across.
5. Show video “Newsnight- Political Islam” (20 minutes)
a. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbKxfcvW1-Q
b. What language was used?
c. What surprised you?
d. What do you not know enough about to fully understand this video?
6. 10 minute break
7. Beginning to question mainstream news representations: LGBTQ and Islam (50 minutes)
a. Show thirty minutes of the movie A Jihad for Love
i. I suggest sharing the beginning segment about Imam Muhsin Hendricks, the segment on the young men from Iran, the segment on Pakistan, and closing with the ending segment about Imam Muhsin Hendricks. You may decide in the prior week to show the entire video which is about an hour long.
ii. Facilitate discussion.
b. This community is often missing from both mainstream and queer media. There is an assumption that all of Islam oppresses all queer people horribly. In some countries, it is easier to be queer and Muslim than in some places in the United States.
8. Final questions
9. Homework assignment- Be sure to have your presentation ready for next time. (Tell them how long they will have to present. Depending on the number of students in the class, this will vary.)
10. Show photographs from http://www.canada.com/news/2210885/story.html?tab=PHOT
Session 6: Beginning to Understand Islam in the Media
Materials needed for this class:
Computer
Teacher Preparation for Class:
View Stephen Colbert video.
Session 6 Outline
1. Video of Stephen Colbert interview with Christopher Caldwell (10 minutes)
a. http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/255241/november-11-2009/christopher-caldwell
b. Brief discussion. What do students notice?
2. Question/answer time (5 minutes)
3. Student Presentations (45 minutes)
4. 10 minute break
5. Student presentations (30 minutes)
6. What will you do with your new knowledge? Where do we go from here?
a. Be sure students have the resource list.
b. What can we do in this church?
7. Final questions
8. Closing music/art/reading/video- instructor’s choice.
[1]Sachiko Murata and William C. Chittick, The Vistion of Islam (St. Paul: Paragon House, 1994), 6.
[2] Ed. Loolwa Khazzoom, the Flying Camel: Essays on Identity by Women of North African and Middle Eastern Jewish Heritage (New York: Seal Press, 2003), xi-xii.
[3] Rita Nakashima Brock and Rebecca Ann Parker. Saving Paradise: How Christianity Traded Love of This World for Crucifixion and Empire (Boston: Beacon Press, 2008), IX.
For a little more than a thousand years, a story has been created of the relationship between European Christianity and Arab Islam. It is a story that makes synonymous the identity of Europeans with Christianity and being Arab with Islam. This story, and we use story rather than history with intention, has made it difficult for everyday people to understand and be of witness to one another’s inherent commonalities and moments of connection and grace.
This course works to bring about awareness of both the story and the history of how this story came into being. This course offers the student a way to comprehend what they hear every day in mainstream United States news sources within the larger context of history and the modern day world.
Who is this class for?
This course is designed specifically for Unitarian Universalist congregations, but could easily be adapted for other environments and settings. The audience is people living in the United States who do not identify as Muslim and do identify as religiously or ethically liberal, progressive, or otherwise welcoming to the Muslim community.
What should a student expect to understand at the end of this class?
· Have some knowledge of the “religion” of Islam and Islam’s complexity
· Understand basic knowledge of the histories:
o of Islam
o of the relationship between Europe and Islam since 1000A.D.
o of the creation(s) of “Western” identities;
o of Unitarians, Islam, and Judaism as interacting communities.
· Ability to describe Orientalism and explain some of the myths that help create the foundation of today’s mythologizing of Islam.
· Understand the cultural variety of “Muslim” countries and the effect of conflating different cultures onto the religion of “Islam.”
· Ability to explain the difficulty of placing “Westernized” ontologies on “Islam.”
· A basic understanding how Fox News came about, how it operates day to day, and the impact this has had on mainstream media including Associated Press (AP) and National Public Radio (NPR).
· To analyze current media sources with an understanding of key words, assumptions made, and what the student needs to learn more about to understand the story.
Class Duration and Format
This class is designed for six sessions and could easily be extended to eight sessions. Classes last for two hours each time and include some homework most weeks. Students are required to attend the first and last sessions of the course and strongly encouraged to attend all where possible. The format of the course is as follows:
1. Presentation of art, music, story, and or poetry to start the class.
2. Welcome, introductions (first week only) and question/answer time
3. Curriculum Presentation/Activity Part 1
4. 5-10 minute break
5. Curriculum Presentation/Activity Part 2
6. Final questions
7. Homework assignment (if applicable)
8. Closing art/music/video/story
This format is intentionally designed for an adult and youth (teen) audience. In adult education, offering opportunities to engage with elements of the culture, creating time to process ideas (the break), and having a clear and consistent format (even if unstated) creates the space necessary to understand material that can be unfamiliar and even disorienting. Often the art, music, and poetry that are presented at the beginning and end of each class are a part of the curricular work for the day and help the students reorient themselves from their daily lives to the work at hand. The break midway allows for time to process new material and to reflect on thoughts and ideas that lead to new questions. The homework, even if a small assignment, gives the adult student the opportunity to reflect and consider questions they have and present them in their homework in the following week. Each of these pieces fosters the growth of the student and allows them to feel disoriented and unsure in a structured space.
I final note on adult pedagogy: whenever possible, it is helpful to let students answer questions that are asked if they know the answers. You may need to offer some clarifying points to tie answers into the topic at hand. However, it is helpful to build strength on what students in the room already know as a ground for building on what they do not know. If they feel like they know nothing, the class may prove frustrating for them or they may find the instructor to be condescending or unwilling to listen. When students feel like what they do know matters, they tend to open up more to sharing the things they really don’t understand. All of this said, it is important to ask those who speak a lot to count to ten before speaking or ask if they really must share and to invite students who do not speak up much to do so as well as to create time for them to process so that they can speak..
Who can teach this class?
It is important that instructors have some knowledge and past or current interaction with Muslim communities, preferably in the region where they are teaching. Certainly, they need some knowledge of the history of Islam, the elements of the faith, an understanding of the politics related to Islam both in the United States and the world, and a little understanding of how modern news media works. For this reason, this curriculum would likely require training of facilitators and leaders in some more formalized way or an expectation of proof that they are qualified to teach it. At the time of this writing, I foresee only a small number of people within Unitarian Universalism who could teach this curriculum upon it being handed to them.
The Curriculum
Session 1: Beginning to Understand Islam
Materials needed for this class:
CD Player or Computer or other electronic mode for playing music
CD with Adhan recording and/or video/cd of Sufi Dervish dancing and music
Copies of the Hadith of Gabriel for each student
A copy of “The Cow” from Wisdom of the Idiots by Indries Shah
List of resource suggestions for students
If possible, copies of books suggested for students to look at from the resource list
Teacher Preparation for Class:
Select an Adhan or music/video of music for opening the class.
Read the Introduction to A Vision of Islam.
Review the “Hadith of Gabriel”
Review the Sufi story for end of class
Session 1 Outline
- Play Adhan or Sufi Dervish music/video (3-5 minutes)
- You can begin playing this a couple of minutes before the start of the class.
- Once complete, ask the students if they know what was just playing. Give brief explanation of what played if students can’t answer it amongst themselves.
Students may have further questions. Tell them there will be more time to answer later in the session. (1-2 minutes) - Introductions-
- Introduce yourself
ii. Why do you want to teach this class?
iii. What do you hope for this class?
- Student introductions (2 minutes per student) (20-30 minutes)
ii. Why take this class?
iii. What do you know about and/or what experience do you have with Islam and Muslim communities?
- Depending on the number of students, this may take the entire first half of the session. This is not ideal, but it is certainly ok. It is important that you hear what brings people in and what they do or don’t know. Pay attention to who knows a lot and who knows nothing. Also, pay attention to who speaks a lot and who speaks a little.
- Ask the students what questions they are arriving with. What do they hope to learn from being in this class? (10 minutes)
- Keep track of the questions and let students know when these questions will be addressed in the curriculum, if possible. Be sure to answer relevant questions in the curriculum. If they question does not seem relevant, simply say that the question is not in the purview of the curriculum, but you would be willing to chat with them about it at a break or after class.
- Hand out the “Hadith of Gabriel.”
- Provide a brief introduction: (5 minutes)
- We will be talking about the basic precepts of Islam today and the similar and different ways that Muslim engage with Islam. In the book, A Vision of Islam, the authors talk about teaching about Islam through this Hadith. An Hadith is said to be written by those close to Muhammad and are considered sacred, but are not the Word of God like the Quran. <Offer more information on Hadiths and the Quran as you feel useful and necessary> This Hadith is helpful to non-Muslims because it delineates the core aspects of the religion that all Muslims adhere to as they are able.
- If there is time for the break, then let them read through the Hadith and then go into the break. If there is not, give them the break and then five minutes to read through it. If you know someone has difficulty reading or doesn’t relate well to reading, then skip having them read it outright and read it out loud yourself inviting students to follow along.
- Break (5-10 minutes)
- Islam- talk about the meaning of the word Islam. Discuss the many varied meaning of the word itself as discussed on page 6 of A Vision of Islam[1]. (10 minutes)
- This is a good time to talk about the use of the phrase “Peace be upon him/her/gher.” Muhammad, peace be upon him… Explain why the phrasing is used in reference to various prophets. Also, this is a good time to explain that there are many prophets with Muhammad being the last and that one of these prophets is Jesus. I found that most students were deeply surprised by this and that it began to shift their understandings of Islam right away. Understanding this respect for Jesus and Miriam (Mary) will be helpful when talking about the rights of women later in the course.
- Talk about the different components of the Hadith of Gabriel. (40 minutes)
- What does it take to be a Muslim?
ii. Profession of faith
- Talk about Salaat, alms giving, Ramadan, and haj.
ii. Exercise patience and allow questions to flow.
iii. Answer what you can, admit what you don’t know, and where possible promise to bring answers to future classes if you do not know.
- To the best of your ability talk about the Last Day/Hour.
ii. So, in this explanation, I found it useful to say that as a person who does not believe in this, I find it hard to explain, but that it is important to note a belief that we are held accountable for our deeds after our death.
iii. If found this was a good time to talk about Shatan and sin.
1. Shatan: not the same as Satan. More akin to ego and the voices or inclinations within us that are greedy, self-centered, and self-righteous.
2. Sin: In Christian context sin usually refers to the nature of a person and their actions which need to be atoned for either in this life or the next. This concept does not translate directly into Islam. The notion of final judegement has more to do with an attitude of humbleness and ones relationship to creating beauty in their family and community through modest and compassionate words and deeds.
- As with all religions- there is the ideal and reality. How often do we fail to meet our own standards in our lives? Of course there are Muslims who may not always live up to the expectations of religion just as is true in all religions.
- Answer other questions that arise. There will be many and you may not be able to answer them all this week. The questions will give you a sense of where students are in their understanding and how much time will be needed to focus on the basic history and values of Islam before getting into understanding the media.
- Homework: Read “The Mexican Kitchen’s Islamic Connection” by Rachel Laudan. http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/200403/the.mexican.kitchen.s.islamic.connection.htm (Sending the students the link via e-mail is the easiest way to do this, but take note of anyone who does not use the internet and give them a printed copy).
- Read Sufi story for closing of class. (two minutes)
Session 2: History of Islam in Context: Part 1
Materials needed for this class:
CD Player or Computer or other electronic mode for playing music
TV and DVD player if you have a copy of “Islam: Empire of Faith” (Part 2) or Computer (and perhaps projector) if you use online copy at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1PxJomypQE
Chalk board, dry-erase board, or butcher paper.
Teacher Preparation for Class:
Find a Ladino song to play for the class. Yasmin Levi is an excellent artist. The song should include both instruments and vocal(s).
Review terms covered in the definition section of the class.
repare to present a brief lecture on history of Muhammad and beginning of Islam.
Karen Armstrong’s book on Muhammad is an excellent source for this.
View “Islam: Empire of Faith Part2”
Session 2 Outline
1. Ask students to listen to the ladino song that you have chosen. (5 minutes)
a. Ask them to answer the following questions:
i. What instruments are being played?
ii. What language is being sung?
iii. Where do you think this music is from?
b. Leave the room while they are listening to the song to give them the freedom to discuss amongst themselves without the temptation of looking to you for approval.
2. Question/answer time (10 minutes)
a. When they have finished, ask them what they have discovered. After they share their ideas, tell them about the song.
i. Give brief explanation of Ladino as a language and where and when this music was developed.
ii. Explain what Sephardim means and talk a little about al-Andalus.
iii. Let them know that they will be getting into different terms later.
b. Ask the students what they thought of the homework.
c. What questions do they have?
3. Activity: Definitions and Categories (45 minutes)
a. On chalk/dry-erase board or butcher paper write down three headers with space below them like columns: Jewish, Muslim, and Christian
i. Ask students to “describe the characteristics of Jewish culture.”
1. You may need to explain that culture means customs, etiquette, rules, language, music, art, games, rituals, holidays, etc.
2. Do not answer these questions for the students or expound upon the activity further than this
ii. Once they have done this for Jewish, ask about Muslim, and then about Christian.
iii. Note: The first time I did this, when asked to describe Christian culture the first student to answer said, “we believe in….” She stopped herself at that point and put her hand in her face. She had surprised herself. She, a self-professed atheist who never attended a Christian church in her life had said “we.” Some students will be surprised by how much they identify “United States culture” with “Christian culture.” If this comes up, be sure to give students time to talk about why they think this is true.
iv. You may find that “Christian culture” is difficult for the class to describe. That is fine. If after a few minutes students cannot come up with anything, just move on to the next section.
b. Start with “Christian culture.”
i. How many communities do you think exist within Christian culture?
ii. Does Unitarian Universalism have a Christian culture even if we are not strictly Christian in thea/ology?
iii. Does the culture of Christianity change depending on the country?
1. You can talk about Christian cultures as they manifest in Europe, the U.S., Mexico, and Brazil.
c. Then Jewish: What are the different “Jewish cultures”?
i. More than likely, the culture that students describe for Jewish culture will be more like what many Ashkenazi Jews identify with.
1. At this point, students will likely mention Orthodox, Reform, and Conservative Judaism.
ii. There are many different ways that Jewish communities have grown to define themselves. For this class, it is helpful to know three terms for different cultural experiences of Judaism. Define Ashkenazi, Sephardi, and Mizrahi.[2]
d. Then Muslim: What are the different “Muslim cultures”?
i. Many people in the United States associate being Muslim with being Arab.
1. However, Arab refers more to a geographic location and perhaps the culture affiliated with it than the religion of Islam.
2. For example, if we know there are Arab Jews and Arab Christians, then clearly Arab and Muslim are not synonymous.
ii. Muslims come from many regions of the world and their way of being Muslim mixes with the cultural rules of the region they are from- as is true with any religion.
iii. Islam does suggest certain practices for people who practice it. For example, a United States born Muslim may wear a hijab while listening to rock music and eating Mexican food.
iv.
4. Break (10 minutes)
5. Questions? (5 minutes)
6. Lecture on Muhammad (5 minutes)
7. View first 23 minutes of “Islam: Empire of Faith- Part 2”
8. Final questions
9. No homework, but encourage to watch “Islam: Empire of Faith” via online or library.
10. Play another Ladino song to close.
Session 3: History of Islam in Context: Part 2
Materials needed for this class:
Copy of transliterated Adhan
CD Player/Computer for music
Computer and/or projector to play “Orientalist Art” Powerpoint
Copy of “Edict of Expulsion of the Jews”
Teacher Preparation for Class:
Prepare history lectures for the section (see lesson plan).
Session 3 Outline
1. Play Adhan for students. Then give students a chance to say the words aloud. (See handout for this lesson). (5 minutes)
2. Question/answer time. (5 minutes)
3. Lecture and discussion on history of the Crusades and the invasion of the Ottomans into the Muslim controlled Empire to the history of al-Andalus and expulsion there. (50 minutes)
a. I started this section with the first line from Saving Paradise. “It took Jesus a thousand years to die. [3]”
b. Talk about the beginning of myth building of Islam, as well, which will be discussed in greater detail in second half of class.
i. King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table
ii. Robin Hood
iii. European myths about Muhammad
c. Talk about history of al-Andalus.
i. King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella:
ii. Read “Edict of Expulsion of the Jews” from 1492 to the class. Stop to answer questions as they arise.
d. Many, if not all, students do not know this part of the history of Spain or the extent of what Ferdinand and Isabella did during this time.
e. Relationships between Unitarian Universalism and Islam in Europe.
4. Break (10 minutes)
5. “Orientalism” or “How myths and stereotypes can create an identity” (30 minutes)
a. Lecture on Edward Said and his commentary on the term “Oriental.”
i. Talk about the aspects of myths that are common in creating the “absolute other.”
1. Sexual deviance and promiscuity
2. Dirty
3. Immoral
4. Greedy
5. Violent
ii. These descriptors play out in:
1. Myths: revisit myths from earlier
2. Art: view slide show that is attached to this curriculum or other “orientalist” art.
b. Understanding this history of art and how it was created will become important as we begin to analyze and understand various media sources in the modern day including news, movies, and music.
6. Final questions (5 minutes)
7. Homework assignment (5 minutes)- Watch at least fifteen minutes each of the following:
a. Fox News- could be the actual news or talk shows such as O’Reilly or Beck
b. al-Jazeera English- http://english.aljazeera.net/ or Democracy Now- http://www.democracynow.org/
8. Play one of Yusuf Islam’s more recent songs. One album suggestion is Road Singer. (3 minutes)
Session 4: Beginning to Critically Engage with Media Sources Part 1
Materials needed for this class:
Computer for video viewing.
CD Player if not playing music from internet.
Copy of “Outfoxed: Rupter Murdoch’s War on Journalism” (can be streamed from Netflix).
Teacher Preparation for Class:
Choose Muslim Hip-hop song for class opening and song by Muslim women for end.
View all videos.
Session 4 Outline
1. Play “Divine Love” by Tasleem "Jamila" Firdausee or another song by a Muslim hip hop artist. If you need help, check out www.muslimhiphop.com . (3 minutes)
2. Question/Answer Time from last session (5 minutes)
3. Ask students to talk about their responses to the news sources they reviewed during the week. (15 minutes)
a. Have each student talk about what the watched.
b. Anything surprise you?
c. What language was used during what you watched.
4. Show first 15 minutes of “Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch’s War on Journalism” and discuss. (30 minutes)
5. Language and Perspective in the news media (5 minutes)
a. As Fox News has grown in power, it has significantly influenced the language and issues of the other news sources.
b. By having control over so many news media sources, News Corporation has been able to shift the direction of other news sources including National Public Radio.
c. Also, news and other media sources tend to succeed based on the amount of advertising that can be procured and number of viewers.
d. This has particularly influenced online media news sources where the ability to create solid news sources often relies on advertising and donations.
6. Break (10 minutes)
7. Beginning to question mainstream news representations: Islam and Women
- Video: The Position and Rights of Women in Islam by Dr. Nahid Angha [HQ]
b. Video: Bahraini Women’s Rights Activist Ghada Jamshir
i. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPz4olc1Les&feature=PlayList&p=F6ADD0C79CEB600E&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=14
ii. What surprised you?
iii. Many Muslim women do not find the opinions of Western feminists to be all that helpful.
1. Rather than talking about and offering support in real issues Western society tends to focus on the cosmetic ones such as hajibs and burquas.
2. Little or no understanding of the complexity of women’s rights issues in Muslim communities is understood.
3. The rights of women vary country to country and community to community. What is an issue in one place is not in another.
4. Western audiences often pass judgment by placing Western ideals and standards on non-Western countries.
5. What are the needs for women according to this activist?
8. Final questions
9. Homework assignment
a. For next week: read “Swiss Ban on Minarets Was a Vote for Inclusion” by Ayaan Hirsi Ali
i. http://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/Opinion/2009/1205/p09s01-coop.html
ii. Be prepared to discuss this article in our next class.
b. In our last session, students will be asked to present a news story about Islam from “mainstream” media sources. It cannot come from al-Jazeera, Democracy Now, or Independent News sources. Students will be asked to answer the following questions in their presentation:
i. What is the story about?
ii. What assumptions are made in this story?
iii. Are there historical myths and/or stereotypes at play in this story?
iv. What language is used in relation to Islam (we will talk about key words in the next class)?
v. What do you as a reader not know enough about to feel truly informed about the story presented? In other words, what is not in this story that would help you understand it more fully (if anything)?
vi. What did you find this story important?
c. This assignment will be due in the final class for presentation and you can contact the instructor as you have questions.
10. Women’s ensemble of Fergana- “la ilahe illallah”
a. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8a_MAdllpYU
Session 5: Beginning to Critically Engage with Media Sources Part 2
Materials needed for this class:
DVD Player
Computer
CD Player
Teacher Preparation for Class:
View A Jihad for Love and select scenes to share with the class. Be sure to include both the beginning and ending segments with
Session 5 Outline
1. Share images of the 99 names of Allah (5 minutes)
a. Many images of the names in Arabic are online.
b. For a list of the names, you can check out Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Names_of_God_in_the_Qur%27an
2. Question/answer time (10 minutes)
a. Discuss the homework assignment “Swiss Ban on Minarets Was a Vote for Inclusion” by Ayaan Hirsi Ali
b. What did students notice?
c. What language was used?
d. What assumptions were made in the article?
3. Show video: O’Reilly Factor: Is Fox’s “24” Anti-Muslim? (15 minutes)
a. Ask students to pay attention to the kinds of language and words used in this interview by O’Reilly and Arsalan Iftikhar.
b. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EW2tujZISvc
c. What did you witness?
d. What words were used to describe Muslims?
e. What other key words did you notice?
4. Definitions of words used in the media (10 minutes)
a. Muslim
b. Islam
c. Arab
d. Persian
e. Islamic extremist
f. Islamisist
g. Political Islam
h. Ask for other words that students have come across.
5. Show video “Newsnight- Political Islam” (20 minutes)
a. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbKxfcvW1-Q
b. What language was used?
c. What surprised you?
d. What do you not know enough about to fully understand this video?
6. 10 minute break
7. Beginning to question mainstream news representations: LGBTQ and Islam (50 minutes)
a. Show thirty minutes of the movie A Jihad for Love
i. I suggest sharing the beginning segment about Imam Muhsin Hendricks, the segment on the young men from Iran, the segment on Pakistan, and closing with the ending segment about Imam Muhsin Hendricks. You may decide in the prior week to show the entire video which is about an hour long.
ii. Facilitate discussion.
b. This community is often missing from both mainstream and queer media. There is an assumption that all of Islam oppresses all queer people horribly. In some countries, it is easier to be queer and Muslim than in some places in the United States.
8. Final questions
9. Homework assignment- Be sure to have your presentation ready for next time. (Tell them how long they will have to present. Depending on the number of students in the class, this will vary.)
10. Show photographs from http://www.canada.com/news/2210885/story.html?tab=PHOT
Session 6: Beginning to Understand Islam in the Media
Materials needed for this class:
Computer
Teacher Preparation for Class:
View Stephen Colbert video.
Session 6 Outline
1. Video of Stephen Colbert interview with Christopher Caldwell (10 minutes)
a. http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/255241/november-11-2009/christopher-caldwell
b. Brief discussion. What do students notice?
2. Question/answer time (5 minutes)
3. Student Presentations (45 minutes)
4. 10 minute break
5. Student presentations (30 minutes)
6. What will you do with your new knowledge? Where do we go from here?
a. Be sure students have the resource list.
b. What can we do in this church?
7. Final questions
8. Closing music/art/reading/video- instructor’s choice.
[1]Sachiko Murata and William C. Chittick, The Vistion of Islam (St. Paul: Paragon House, 1994), 6.
[2] Ed. Loolwa Khazzoom, the Flying Camel: Essays on Identity by Women of North African and Middle Eastern Jewish Heritage (New York: Seal Press, 2003), xi-xii.
[3] Rita Nakashima Brock and Rebecca Ann Parker. Saving Paradise: How Christianity Traded Love of This World for Crucifixion and Empire (Boston: Beacon Press, 2008), IX.